Six Rivers Market Membership Structure
- The yearly membership fee is your equity in the Market. It is money we ask for to allow us to afford capital expenditures. You are an equal member in the Market and have all the same rights and voting power of all other producer and consumer members and as such, help shape the form and direction of the Market.
- Membership in the Market is open to both customers and producers of Local food products or other Local products that are authorized by the Board of Directors. Any person shall be eligible to become a member of the association, regardless of race, gender, religion, income, marital status, culture, or nationality.
- Each member shall be entitled to make purchases from the Market on terms available to members and to participate in the governance of the Market.
 Members of the Market are those persons or other legal entities that purchase a membership capital share in the Market. All members of a shareholder's household share in the rights and privileges of membership, and may buy, sell, and hold office in the Market, but only one vote is exercised per membership in the Annual Member Meeting. Before each annual meeting, each household will receive one ballot for the vote at the annual meeting. For the purpose of these articles, "household" is defined as 2 or more persons residing at a common address or in the case of producers, 2 or more persons who are partners in a business enterprise. At the discretion of the board of directors, these definitions may be broadened to include institutions, retirement complexes, religious organizations, or other larger groups of people.
- The voting rights of the members of the Market shall be equal and no member shall have more than one vote upon each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of the members. No person, persons, or other legal entity may own or vote more than one membership share in the Market; however, any person may give money to the Market to pay for membership shares for low income persons who desire to be Market members but who do not have sufficient funds to pay for the membership. Those donated shares will be owned by the person they were donated to. Shares may not be transferred directly from members to non-members or between members but must be sold back to the Market. |
- We are a not for profit organization with all actions directed toward serving our members. We are all in this together to make our communities richer, healthier and sustainable. If at any time, you wish to dissolve your membership, the Market shall buy back that membership share at the actual value less a set processing fee set by the Board within 90 days of receiving a written request, provided there are sufficient replacement funds. It shall then cancel that share on its books. The member may elect to donate his or her share to the Market, in which case the value of the share shall be paid to the fund that finances membership stock purchases for low-income people.
- The property rights and interests of each member in the fixed assets of the association shall be equal and are determined based on the ownership of each member of one share of the Market. The property rights and interest of each member in the membership patronage surplus of the Market, if any, shall be determined and fixed on a patronage basis by the Board, and the surplus from the member patronage business of the association shall be allocated to member-patrons in the proportion that the patronage of each member bears to the total patronage of all the members of the association. The property rights and interest of each member in the nonmember surplus of the Market, if any, are equal.
- Members may be expelled for cause from the Market by a 2/3rds vote of the Board of Directors, acting upon the recommendation of the Market Manager. Expulsions may be appealed to the Board of Directors. Members who are expelled shall receive the actual or par value of their membership share, whichever is greater. Cause for expulsion can include illegal activity, fraudulent affidavits regarding the origin or production practices of products sold through the Market, repeated failure to pay bills, and prolonged and egregious inability or unwillingness to follow Market standard operating procedures.
- It is understood that funds remitted pursuant to this subscription agreement are subject to the risks inherent in any start-up enterprise of this character, and that such risks may result in the loss of part or all of such funds.
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